Plane mirror reflection
The reflected ray remains in the plane of incidence and makes the same angle with the normal. Backward extensions locate an upright virtual image as far behind the mirror as the object is in front.
Run this experiment →Physics · Class 12
Ray Optics & Optical Instruments
9 free physics experiments and lesson notes for Ray Optics & Optical Instruments, with model limits, worked examples and Tamil explanations.
Spherical mirror images
A concave mirror can give a real inverted image or a virtual upright image depending on object position. A convex mirror gives a reduced virtual image. The focal-position limit produces parallel reflected rays.
Run this experiment →Glass slab refraction
The ray bends toward the normal on entering glass and away on leaving. The parallel faces restore its original direction but shift its line sideways. Thickness changes shift while leaving the refraction angle fixed.
Run this experiment →Curved boundary refraction
Curvature and an index difference give an interface optical power. The focal object distance differs from the focal image distance because the two media have different indices.
Run this experiment →TIR and fibre guidance
Total internal reflection needs both a higher starting index and incidence beyond the critical angle. Repeated reflections can guide light through an ideal optical fibre.
Run this experiment →Lens shape and optical power
Lens power comes from index contrast and both surface curvatures. Increasing curvature or index increases focusing power. Dioptres use focal length in metres.
Run this experiment →Compound optical power
Lens powers add in contact. Separation introduces an extra term and shifts the principal planes. A plane mirror immediately at a thin lens sends light through that same power twice.
Run this experiment →Prism deviation and dispersion
Two refractions turn the ray through a prism. Symmetric passage gives minimum deviation. Different refractive indices for different colours create dispersion, with a higher index producing a larger minimum deviation.
Run this experiment →Microscope and telescope
An objective and an eyepiece perform different jobs. The telescope compares angular sizes of distant objects. A microscope uses a real intermediate image before the eyepiece magnifies it.
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